2023-09-29 13:45:20
GIRONAWednesday evening, Portu and Stuani left the La Ceràmica dressing room full of bags. “You see, we are leaders of the First Division and here we are, loading the equipment,” the Uruguayan told reporters with a laugh. A few minutes had passed since the sixth consecutive victory in the League, which gave them the first position, one point in front of Madrid and two of Barça. “I’m hallucinating, I can’t believe it. This is indeed historic,” summed up Valery, with sincerity. Juan Carlos, the substitute goalkeeper – who has no minutes but does an invaluable job in the dressing room – was one of the happiest: “It will stay with us forever, we will remember it for the rest of our lives.” Jota, the person in charge of equipment, appeared by surprise: “I come from Tercera, eh, I’ve lived all the way”. He has been working for the club for more than two decades. Everything was joy in an endless night that everyone wants to continue.
Because this Saturday Girona hopes to experience another magical day, coinciding with the visit of Real Madrid (6.30pm, DAZN). Because if everything that is happening did not happen, the most normal thing would be to say that the Girona team receives the leader. But this is not the case and it is Madrid who visit the first place, which plays in Montilivi and bears the name of Girona. “It will be a beautiful match and we must enjoy it,” says Míchel, the miracle coach who has managed to make the white-and-red dressing room break all the records to become the best Girona of all time.
The data don’t lie: Girona, who had never won six games in a row in Primera, are the second team in the last decade – leaving aside Madrid, Barça and Atlético de Madrid – to lead on matchday seven . Only Villarreal had dared, in 2015. The current projection, in fact, guarantees it a place in the European positions at the end of the season. Only seven teams have done 19 out of 21 and 96% (27 out of 28) finished in the Champions League. The worst place would be a sixth position, a place that Girona would sign with blood, right now. Last year he closed the first round with 21 points and now he has 19.
Fifth best team of 2023
But let’s continue with the records. Girona, which did not lose any of the seven friendlies of the summer, is one of the 10 unbeaten teams in the five major European leagues. The list is completed by Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal, from the Premier League; Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt, from the Bundesliga; Nice and Rennes, from Ligue 1, and Barça. And the best data of all, that of regularity this year 2023, in which Girona is fifth in an annual ranking led by Barça (67 points), Atlético de Madrid (63), Real Madrid (58), the Real Sociedad (54) and Girona (51). Of these 30 matches, Míchel’s team won 50% (15), drew six and lost nine. “This is the data I like, because it shows that we are reliable”, reasons the Madrid native.
Anyone who thinks there are no more possible rankings to lead is wrong. Girona is also the team that has had the most different scorers at the start of the season. Up to eleven footballers in the squad have seen the goal. The last one, Eric Garcia, the player loaned by Barça, who with his header against Vila-real certified the first position of the Girona.
Favorable balance against Madrid
To finish filling Montilivi with optimism, who will be full to the brim because there are no tickets left for days, Girona is the only team in the League with a favorable balance in the duels against Madrid, whom they have already defeated twice times in the whites’ three visits to Catalonia. He did it in the 2017-18 season, on Sant Narcís day, with goals from Stuani and Portu (2-1), the same ones who loaded the bags of material leaving the Vila-real dressing room. And you still remember the poker of Taty Castellanos last year (4-2).
Girona, who have all their important men at their disposal, will go out with a gala eleven, with the unknown whether Míchel will vary the drawing a bit to bring in Yan Couto in a double right wing accompanied by Arnau Martínez, and whether he will line up Blind, or with a defense of five or advancing David López in midfield to keep Eric Garcia. Rich in possibilities, who will not move from the field of play is Savinho, right now the most dangerous man, who will live a one-on-one duel with Vinícius, whom Ancelotti will turn to, together with Bellingham, to try to get Montilivi to stop counting the games for wins (three out of three, this year). In defense, Madrid is without Alaba and is suffering the consequences of the absences of Courtois in goal and Militão in the center. Anything can happen in this duel between the first and second place in a League in which Girona currently rules.
#Real #Madrid #powerful #reasons #leader #run #whites